- Date Of Birth: August 29, 1945
- Date Of Death: October 28, 2021
- State: Utah
Merrill Steed, 76, beloved husband, father and grandfather passed away peacefully in his home on October 28th, 2021 from Heart Complications and Covid.
He was the first of nine children born to Grant Joseph Steed and Shirley Adams. He was born on August 29th, 1945 in Fielding, Utah while his dad was away in the Army during WWII. He moved to Ogden, Utah when he was 8 years old and later attended Ben Lomond High School. After high school, he served in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War and eventually retired from Hill AFB in 2005 as an electrician and radar technician.
While serving his country in the Vietnam War, he gained an admiration for the people of Thailand. After coming home, he met and dated Nongluck Tantikarnjathep who was studying abroad from Thailand at Stevens-Henager College in Ogden, Utah. He wrote her every week for a year straight after she returned home before eventually travelling to Thailand to marry her. They were later sealed in the Ogden LDS Temple.
Besides being an electrician, Merrill was very talented and had many hobbies. Early on, he was a mechanic spending all his time fixing cars and overhauling engines. He was a self-trained blacksmith and built his own homemade forge where he crafted many knives and various tools. He enjoyed shooting, reloading and customizing old military rifles. In addition, he was well versed in Herbal Medicine and Pharmacognosy.
Merrill was known as a great husband and father who would do anything for his family, extended family or anyone in need. He was known for helping everyone with home and car repairs. Before fuel injections, he would pull over on the side of the road to help anyone in need with their stranded vehicles. He also went with the Elders quorum to help after the Teton Dam failure in 1976.
Merrill is survived by his four children Marvin Steed, Malissa Seeman, Nicholas Steed, Nola Benstog and eight grandchildren.
Also surviving are his mother Shirley Adams Steed and five sisters and two brothers: Dixie Nichelson, Julie Gittens, Delmar Steed, Sharla Steed, Leisa Eves, Sandra Blades and Darwin Steed.
He is preceded in death by his wife Nongluck (Nola) Steed, father Grant Joseph Steed and brother Brian Steed.
